Archives of Manitoba

Index of Indigenous Names from Selected HBC Records

The Hudson’s Bay Company Archives (HBCA) includes records that document Indigenous Peoples with whom the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) interacted. HBCA is working to identify and index records rich in Indigenous names.

The names in this index are taken primarily from financial accounts kept by the HBC for the Indigenous people with whom they traded. These accounts sometimes document original Indigenous names, changes to these names over time, and family relationships. Other records that have been identified for indexing include reports, correspondence, treaty lists, and censuses.

The index is not complete and will continue to grow. Currently, this index includes HBC posts located in what is now Manitoba, dating from about 1790 to 1918. Indexing work continues and the index will eventually grow to include records kept at HBC posts across Canada, and beyond.

Archival records, descriptions and listings can contain outdated, offensive and/or harmful language and content that reflects the time in which they were created. Read the Statement on language and content for more information.

Index of Indigenous Names
Learn More About the Index

The Index of Indigenous Names from Selected HBC Records has 10 columns and 56,260 rows.
Names	Family Information	Other Notes	Dates of Record	HBC Post Name	Region	Item Description	HBCA Location Code	Folio Number	Original Page Number
Names	Family Information	Other Notes	Dates of Record	HBC Post Name	Region	Item Description	HBCA Location Code	Folio Number	Original Page Number

What do the column headings mean?

Below is a brief description of the information found in the columns of the index:

Names:

This column provides the name of the individual as recorded in the HBC record. Where last names are present, last names will precede first names. Where no last names are present, names have been written exactly as found in the original record.

Family Information:

This column records any information found alongside the name that provides family context or connections including references like “son of”, “father of”, or “brother of”.

Other Notes:

This column has been used for all personal information provided alongside a name that is not family information. This includes additional names or nicknames for the individual, translations of names, dates and/or causes of death, role with the HBC, and place of origin.

Dates of Record:

This column records the year or range of years when the record was created.

HBC Post Name:

This column records the name of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post with which the record is associated, or where the record was kept. This can indicate where the individual was trading, living, or working at the time of the recorded entry.

Region:

This column records the Canadian province or territory where the HBC post is located. (Note that many of the records pre-date Canadian confederation and the creation of provinces and territories.)

Item Description:

This column provides the title or description of the original HBC record where the entry for the person in the given row was recorded. This title is taken directly from the original record in many cases. Occasionally this title is provided by the Archives, when no original title can be found.

HBCA Location Code:

This column records the location code for the record in which the individual has been recorded. Record this information if you wish to see original record and/or if you want to view digitized records online. Search the location code in the Keystone database.

Folio Number:

This column records the folio number, where available, for the entry including the individual within the record. A folio is a leaf or sheet of paper, numbered only on the front. Folio numbers were added by the archives, usually at the time the record was microfilmed. Folio numbers are found on the top right corner of the right-hand pages, usually beside or near the original page number. The reverse of a folio is called the “dorse” and is not numbered. This can be seen in the column as a number followed by a “d”. This indicates that the entry for that individual can be found on the reverse of that folio number.

Original Page Number:

This column records the original page number, where available, for the entry including the individual within the record. These are the original page numbers added at the time the record was created. They can usually be found in the top left or right corner of the pages.

How do I search the index?

Search for an individual or family
- When using this index to search for individuals, start by searching a name.
- Try spelling the name you are searching a few different ways.
  - Names were often spelled as they sounded when spoken aloud and may be written in a variety of ways.
  - Note that the names in the index are not corrected and are recorded as they are written in the original record.
- This index represents many volumes of records and repeat entries may represent a different record of the same individual or a different individual with the same name.
  - An individual may be listed several times, with different spellings of their names.
  - Individuals may be listed with an Indigenous name in one entry and a translated or anglicized name in the next.
  - Individuals may have traded at more than one HBC post over time.
  - You may need to work backwards and forwards to trace an individual’s names, movements, and relationships.
- If you find family information or alternative names for the individual you are looking for, try searching the index using this information to pull up further results for that individual.
- Click on a column heading to sort the index or to narrow your search. This allows you to sort the names alphabetically, to arrange the dates chronologically or to sort by location in the HBC post and province/territory columns.
Search by HBC post or geographic region
- If you know the community or region a person lived and traded, or the nearest HBC trading post, you can search for names from that region or post. In the search bar enter the name of the HBC trading post or the name of the area; for example: Berens River, Churchill, or Norway House. This will bring up all individuals whose names appear in HBC records for those locations.
- If you do not know the name of the nearest HBC location to your community, look at the HBC post maps to find the nearest HBC location.
- Click on the column heading (“HBC post name” or “region”) to sort the columns alphabetically by geographic region or HBC post.
See the original archival records
- To view the original records, note the "location code" and "folio number" for the entries you find.
- View digitized images online. Many of our post records, especially those from 1870 and earlier, are digitized and available through the Keystone Archives Descriptive Database. Search by location code to find information about the record and to view the digitized copy (if available).
- Visit the Archives of Manitoba to see the original record.

FAQs: What information can I find? What records have been indexed?

Why did you call it the “Index of Indigenous Names”?

The “Index of Indigenous Names” was chosen as a title to account for the range of people, time periods, and territories represented in the index. HBC records don’t record people as First Nations, Inuit or Métis; nor do they generally give more specific information. The records included in this index are often titled with “Indian” or “Eskimo” and may also include terms like “half-breed,” “Chipewyan,” and “Ojibwa”. Read the Archives’ Statement on language and content.

What information can I find in the index?

The index primarily consists of Indigenous names found in HBC records. These names may be original Indigenous names, translated names, or English / French given names. Names are listed in the index in the way they are recorded in the original records.
The names that were taken from financial account books sometimes have additional information recorded that has been added to the index. This includes names, family information, translations, or other given names and any other relevant personal information found in the records. Taken together, this information can provide quite a bit of genealogical information and can help trace the generations of a family. The index can also show the transition of names from original Indigenous names to translations or English / French given names.
The index also notes the HBC post at which information was recorded. This can help identify the region where an individual was trading, working, or living. Individuals might be seen at different posts over time which could show the movement of the individual.
The index also provides the information for requesting and viewing the original records in which the individual is recorded. The item description, location code and folio/page numbers can be used to request and view records at the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba.

What kinds of records have been indexed?

The Hudson’s Bay Company kept financial accounts for the Indigenous people with whom they traded. These records sometimes document original Indigenous names, the changes to these names over time, and family relationships. These records, with titles such as “Indian accounts” or “Indian debts,” are the primary source for the index.
The index also includes other records where HBC identified and documented Indigenous people including reports, correspondence, treaty lists, and censuses.
Most of these records are ones where HBC specified that they were documenting Indigenous people, usually going from the title of the record or the title of a list within a record.
HBC was documenting Indigenous people to keep track of financial transactions (trade and debts) at their posts and sometimes to document populations that were important to local trade, to track treaty payments for the colonial government, or to assist the HBC Governor and Committee with making decisions about business. HBC was collecting information for business purposes and to facilitate and support the colonial government’s administration of activities, policies and programs.

Is the index complete?

This index of names is not complete. We are working with communities and organizations to index select HBC records from regions beyond Manitoba and will update the index as work is completed. Check back regularly as new information is added or contact us for more information on indexing projects.
The index will never be a complete representation of all Indigenous names found in HBC records and is presented as a starting point for further research.

My Indigenous ancestor worked for HBC. Will they be listed in this index?

It is possible that some of the Indigenous people in the index were employed by the HBC. Records of temporary labour, such as tripmen’s accounts, have been included in this index.
There are a variety of records for HBC employees that are not included in this index but may include Indigenous people. Some of those types of records have been indexed and can be found in Name Indexes. For assistance looking for employee information, contact hbca@gov.mb.ca

Are women or children recorded in this index?

The types of records created by the HBC and included in this index most often document the names of men. Occasionally, the records included in this index do include the names of women and children. In most cases, women and children are recorded using the name of their father or husband or representing their relationship to another male relative.

Who created this Index? Did you speak with Indigenous Peoples before putting this information online?

This index was created by staff at the Hudson's Bay Company Archives. HBCA is now collaborating with communities and organizations to complete more of the indexing. Contact us if you would like more information on indexing projects.
HBCA launched the Manitoba portion of the index in cooperation with the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO).
HBCA also worked with members of the Cumberland House Cree Nation and Metis-Nation Saskatchewan through the Saskatchewan River Delta Heritage Project to represent Cumberland House and is currently partnering with Minwashin to index records from several HBC posts in their region including Grand Lac, Abitibi, and Temiscamingue.

If you have questions about this index or about other records in the Hudson's Bay Company Archives, please email us at hbca@gov.mb.ca.

Archives of Manitoba

Index of Indigenous Names from Selected HBC Records

Index of Indigenous Names

Learn More About the Index

What do the column headings mean?

How do I search the index?

FAQs: What information can I find? What records have been indexed?